Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Hi all! I'd like to introduce Kathleen Collins, a very talented author I met from Kansas City. She wrote Realm Walker and I invited her here to tell us about it.

Hello Everyone! And thanks for
letting me hijack the blog today! Okay, no more exclamation points (even though
I am really excited). The one question I’m asked more often than just about any
other is where I get my ideas. And honestly, that’s a hard question for me to
answer. It’s not because I can’t remember, but because it’s hard for me to
narrow down.

The whole Realm Walker series
spawned from an idea I got while listening to a Daughtry song. The idea behind
book three came from having two completely different songs play back to back on
my play list. So, yeah, I get a lot of ideas from music. I also get ideas from
movies and TV. I’ve got a paranormal/horror idea that came from a Doctor Who
episode. I’ve also got a twisted Alice in Wonderland I’d love to write some day
that came to me while watching the Tim Burton incarnation.

Then there are the dreams. The
varied, crazy, completely chaotic dreams. Particularly the ones I have after I
take my migraine meds. And, of course, I constantly get inspiration from the
books I read. That’s one reason I try to read in a variety of genres and a
variety of authors. I’m constantly returning to my favorites and trying new
authors I’ve never heard of before.

All of this adds up to an idea
file stuffed with books that will be written someday and many more that will
never be created. There are just too many ideas and not enough time. I keep
hoping they’ll give us four-day weekends every week but I’m not holding my
breath. Either that or add an extra five hours or so to the day.

So there you have a little
insight into the inner workings of my brain (hopefully I didn’t scare you too
badly) and what led to the creation of Realm Walker. Thanks again for letting
me stop by today.

About Realm Walker:

An estranged mate, a mangled body and a powerful demon who calls
her by name…

As a Realm Walker for the
Agency, Juliana Norris tracks deadly paranormal quarry using her unique ability
to see magical signatures. She excels at her job, but her friends worry about
her mysterious habit of dying in the line of duty without staying dead. That's
only the first of her secrets.

Most people don't know
Juliana became the mate of master vampire Thomas Kendrick before he abandoned
her seven years ago. Most people don't know the horrors she endured at the
hands of the vampire he left in command. Most people don't know her true
parentage, or why a demon on a world-threatening rampage has taken a personal
interest in her…

Even as Juliana pursues the
demon, it goes after all she holds dear—including Thomas, who is back to claim
her for his own. But if she can't reconcile her past and learn to trust herself
again, she will lose him forever.

Kathleen Collins has been writing since Kindergarten. And while her
ability has drastically improved, her stories are still about monsters and the
people who play with them.

The rare instances that she actually finds some spare time, she spends
it playing with her two boys. Three if you count her husband.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Wow, the year has gone by so fast. In a few days it will be Halloween and the kiddos at my house are ready to go in terms of enjoying the upcoming candy overdose! To be honest, I'm not looking forward to the final bill for the kids Halloween costumes or the mess from all the candy and such. But my mom endured it for me so I get to have the fun times three! Ha! I wish I was more handy so I could create home made costumes. I envy folks who are handy with a thread and needle. My kids have requested Minecraft costumes, and well, there aren't many options. But if I had the talent, oh the things I could make!

Last weekend I was in Seattle for the Emerald City Writers Conference. I had so much fun. Here is my co-conspirator Jeannie Lin and I at the signing! We did our Shy Girl Review presentation.

After the signing, Jeannie and I joined other writer peeps for a drink and some comfort food at Lot 3. My favorite thing there was the Plate O' Bacon from the snacks menu below. It was so good. The bacon was crispy, yet with a sweet maple syrup taste. So good. Bacon must be an important ingredient since the waiter asked everyone if they wanted bacon in their food whether it was chicken and waffles or mac and cheese (which I ordered, yum!)

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Want to
know what happens when authors get together? Well, besides the late nights in
the bar and the story ideas that are "the best ideas ever?" Hey, in
all fairness, sometimes those hold up. More often, they end up in the
"what were we thinking?" pile.

But this
is something different. And fun. For Halloween, six of us are doing a really neat boxed set
with six bestselling paranormal books for $0.99. Kind of crazy, but that’s how
we roll.

Seriously, though, it seemed like a fun way to do something
together, make up our own rules. The set includes:

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Chili...whether you like it hot or mild, with beans or without, heavy on the grease or light on things like ground turkey and tofu, chili is everyone’s favorite cold-weather dish.

That goes double for Maxie Pierce, heroine of my new Chili Cook-Off mystery series. The first book, “Chili Con Carnage” hit store shelves yesterday and follows Maxie’s adventures as she tries to solve the murder of a Chili Showdown roadie. There are plenty of plot twists and turns, plenty of craziness what with Maxie spending her days at the Showdown as the Chili Chick, dressed as a giant red chili pepper (complete with fishnet stockings and stilettoes) and enough suspects to keep the pot boiling! There’s plenty of information about chili, chili spices and cooking, too, and that got me to thinking . . .

How much do you know about chili? Take the quiz and find out! Answers are the end, but no cheating! See if you’re a Chili Chick!

1.Which city has three times as many chili parlors as McDonald’s restaurants?

A.TulsaB.CincinnatiC.Taos

2.Which famous outlaw refused to rob a bank in McKinney, Texas, because his favorite chili parlor was there?

A.Jesse JamesB.Al CaponeC.Billy the Kid

3.Where was the first chili cook-off held?

A.Houston, TexasB. Phoenix, ArizonaC.Terlingua, Texas

4.What unit measures the heat of a chili pepper?

A. Scoville UnitB.Thermal UnitC.Capsaicin Unit

5.What’s the best way to cool off your mouth after you heat a too-spicy chili pepper?

A.A big glass of cold waterB.Eating a slice of breadC. Drinking milk

Answers:

1.B. Cincinnati. Skyline Chili is famous there, and it’s served over spaghetti.

2.A.Jesse James, who once said, “any place that has a chili joint like this ought to be treated better.”

3.C.Terlingua, Texas in 1967. Every year on the first of November, the Chili Appreciation Society International holds a cook-off there.

4.A.Scoville Heat Units measure the heat of chili peppers. To give you an idea, the Bhut jolokia (ghost pepper) contains 1 million SHU. A bell pepper has 0.

5.C.Mouth on fire? Drink a glass of milk. Dairy products help cool down the capsaicin, the ingredient that makes peppers hot.

If you're in the northeast Ohio area...

On Saturday, October 5, I'll be signing copies of "Chili Con Carnage" and all my other books at Books-a-Million in Westgate Mall from 1-3. I'll be there with fellow mystery writers Shelley Costa, Amanda Flower and Sam Thomas

On Sunday, October 6, I'll be at the Seven Hills Fall Fest and Chili Cook-Off from 11-4. At the Seven Hills (Ohio) community center